ICC World Cup 2019: Match 7, Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka: Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

All the teams apart from India have already played one match in the ongoing World Cup 2019 and must’ve got the hold of the things now. It is time to build on the start from here on and the two teams which lost their respective opening games, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, will lock horns in the match 7 of the tournament. While the Islanders were hammered by the Kiwis by 10 wickets in Cardiff, Afghanistan went down fighting against Australia in Bristol.

Both the teams have an equal chance to get back to the winning track now and will be giving their 100 per cent for the same. Afghanistan surprisingly left out Asghar Afghan from the team in the previous game and picked Najibullah Zadran ahead of him. The move worked and they are likely to go in unchanged for this encounter as well. Sri Lanka may ponder adding Jeffrey Vandersay to the bowling attack at the expense of Jeevan Mendis.

Match Details

The 7th match of the ICC World Cup 2019 will be played between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.

The match starts at 10:30 AM local time (09:30 AM GMT) (3:00 PM IST).

The game will be live on Star Sports. Live streaming available on Hotstar.

Weather Report

The rain is likely to make its presence felt in Cardiff on Tuesday. It will cloudy for the whole day and the heavens are expected to threaten all the time. The chances of rain though reduce from 51% to 20% in the evening and it will be interesting to see if the fans will get to witness a full game. The temperature will hover around 14-17 Degrees Celsius according to AccuWeather.

Pitch Report

The green pitch was on offer for the game between New Zealand and Sri Lanka and seamers enjoyed the early help from the surface. However, the conditions eased out later on. The teams will be looking to bowl first after winning the toss if the case is same again.

Average first innings score: 290 (last six One-Day matches at the venue)

Record of the chasing teams: Won – 1; Lost – 5

Probable Playing XIs

Afghanistan

Mohammad Shahzad (WK), Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib (C), Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Hamid Hassan.

Bench – Asghar Afghan, Noor Ali Zadran, Aftab Alam, Samiullah Shenwari.

Sri Lanka

Lahiru Thirimanne, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Perera (WK), Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Mathews, Jeevan Mendis/Jeffrey Vandersay, Thisara Perera, Isuru Udana, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga.

Bench – Jeevan Mendis/Jeffrey Vandersay, Nuwan Pradeep, Milinda Siriwardana, Avishka Fernando.

Team News:

Avishka Fernando got injured during Sri Lanka’s first warm-up match and still, there is no update on his recovery.

Power Picks:

Najibullah Zadran in ODIs in 2019:

Innings: 6

Runs: 244

Average: 81.33

Strike-Rate: 115.09

100s: 1

50s: 2

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain Options: Dimuth Karunaratne, Rahmat Shah, Gulbadin Naib

Vice-Captain Options: Kusal Perera, Hazratullah Zazai, Kusal Mendis

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for Head to Head/Small Leagues:

Wicket-Keepers – Mohammad Shahzad, Kusal Perera (VC), Kusal Mendis

Batsmen – Rahmat Shah (C), Hashmatullah Shahidi, Dimuth Karunaratne

All-Rounders – Mohammad Nabi, Thisara Perera

Bowlers – Hamid Hassan, Rashid Khan, Suranga Lakmal.

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for Grand/Mega Leagues:

Wicket-Keepers – Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis

Batsmen – Najibullah Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hazratullah Zazai (VC), Dimuth Karunaratne (C)

All-Rounders – Gulbadin Naib, Thisara Perera

Bowlers – Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Lasith Malinga.

Expert Advice:

Hamid Hassan bowled well in the previous game and troubled Australian batsmen. He could be picked in the team as he is likely to pick wickets if the pitch is green and Afghanistan bowls first.

Probable Winners:

Afghanistan are expected to win the match but it might be a close encounter.

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.